Barry McCarthy is one of two youngsters set to make his Durham debut at Wantage Road on Friday night – after being talent-spotted by Ben Stokes.

With Durham unable to qualify for the quarter-finals, the 22-year-old right-arm medium-pacer is set for his chance alongside 18-year-old spin-bowling all-rounder Adam Hickey.

The Ireland Under-15 and Under-19 international owes his chance to a net session with Durham’s England all-rounder Stokes.

“He came to us originally because Ben Stokes recommended him,” coach Jon Lewis told the Chronicle. “Ben played a one-day international out in Ireland and in the lead-up to the game he faced the local bowlers in the net.

“Ben phoned me up and said he was all right, we should have a look.

“Last year he was impressive in the second team and the academy when he came over. Ireland took him out for their World Cup build-up in Dubai to bowl at their players.”

McCarthy went on Durham’s pre-season tour of the United Arab Emirates, but has had to wait until now for his competitive debut.

Darlington-born Hickey’s rise has been a bit more rapid, powering his way into the picture with big-hitting displays for the second team. This week he was also called up by England Under-19s for the first time.

If Hickey will be excited about playing in this season’s Twenty20, another spin-bowling all-rounder will probably be glad to see the back of it. But Lewis thinks Scott Borthwick is about to come into his own in one-day cricket.

Often coming in at ten, the England international has only batted five times in 13 matches this season, scoring just 23 runs. And he has only got through 27 overs of leg spin, although his nine wickets is the third best return for the county.

But Durham’s defence of the 50-over Royal London Cup kicks off at the same ground on Saturday morning, and Lewis thinks Borthwick will be much more involved.

“I think Scott can be an outstanding one-day cricketer and he hasn’t had much chance in Twenty20,” said Lewis.

“It is a brief bash of a game and I’m not sure that suits his batting but in 50-over he can be a 50-over batter as well as a leg-spinner. It’s a game where you need proper innings and partnerships.

“He’s as good a timer of the ball as we’ve got in the dressing room.

“He plays fairly low-risk cricket but he does score quickly.

“With only four outside the ring in the middle period, as it was last year, in the first 40 overs you should be able to play pretty orthodox cricket.”

This year’s Royal London Cup will be played with the new more bowler-friendly restrictions set to come into international cricket at the end of the English summer.

Lewis thinks it is important his players switch off Twenty20 mode on Friday night.

“Last year we had some guys who did really well in 50-over cricket and it’s important that guys realise that performing in that format is not about 20 or 30 balls, it’s about posting a significant score, and particularly significant partnerships.

“You have to keep the scoreboard moving forward but you’ve got 50 overs to post a score, you don’t have to do it in the first seven.”